Women in the US experience a rate of maternal mortality twice as high and sometimes three times as high as that of other high income countries. How do we account for this dismal statistic and what can we do about …

Maternal mortality in the United States is a national tragedy, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Did you know the cells in your body have a housekeeping function called autophagy? Research by Sarven Sabunciyan and colleagues at Johns Hopkins has shown that aberrant messenger RNAs, or mRNAs, in pregnancy may alter this pathway and lead to …

How are messenger RNAs involved with disorders like depression? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Examining the contents of small membrane bound sacs known as vesicles in maternal blood may help predict the development of postpartum depression after pregnancy, a Johns Hopkins study led by Sarven Sabunciyan has found. And since the condition develops in …

Can postpartum depression be predicted? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Extracellular vesicles, or small balloon like structures, are released from both maternal and fetal cells during pregnancy, where they serve a communication function between mom and baby. Sarven Sabunciyan and colleagues at Johns Hopkins have also found they’re associated with …

Variations in levels of messenger RNA may help predict postpartum depression, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

During pregnancy cells from the mom’s side of the placenta communicate with those of the baby, and from baby to mom, using tiny structures known as vesicles. Now a Johns Hopkins team, including researcher Sarven Sabunciyan, has found that measurable …

Disruptions in cellular mother-baby communication during pregnancy may result in a host of ills, Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

There’s a lot of communication going on between mom and baby during pregnancy, and some of that is cellular. Sarven Sabunciyan and colleagues at Johns Hopkins have been looking at one specific form of communication that’s disrupted in postpartum depression. …

Can a process of cellular communication between mom and baby during pregnancy underlie postpartum depression? Elizabeth Tracey reports Read More »

Anchor lead: Should women use acetaminophen during pregnancy? Elizabeth Tracey reports Pain relief during pregnancy is a problem, as everyone is reluctant to expose a developing child to drugs that may have negative consequences. Now a study by Xiaobin Wang, …

Safety of Acetaminophen Read More »

Anchor lead: Acetaminophen use during pregnancy may adversely affect the child, Elizabeth Tracey reports Use of acetaminophen, marketed under the brand name Tylenol, may result in increased risk for autism or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, in offspring. That’s according …

Acetaminophen in Pregnancy Read More »

Anchor lead: One in five women may experience depression after giving birth, and a new drug may help, Elizabeth Tracey reports Brexanolone, marketed as Zulresso, is a newly FDA approved drug for postpartum depression. Lauren Osborne, a postpartum depression expert …

April 17, 2019 – Brexanolone Read More »

Anchor lead: Understanding postpartum depression may help identify those at risk, Elizabeth Tracey reports Having a new baby can be a time of joy, but for one in five women postpartum depression may interfere. Now the FDA has approved a …

April 16, 2019 – Who’s at Risk Read More »